Published: Nov 17, 2017 10:48 AM EST Alexis Georgeson / Tesla Motors View full post on Youtube At Level 4, or “high” automation, a vehicle can handle most normal driving tasks on its own. However, driver still needs to take over during poor weather conditions or other unusual environments. For example, a Level 4 truck can’t navigate a sprawling urban environment like Manhattan, but it can navigate a geofenced section, say, from 14th to 57th streets between 2nd and 8th avenues. Outside this pre-defined area, a human will have to manage all or most driving duties. "[Drivers] may become the highway equivalent of an airline pilot." Then comes Level 5—full autonomy. This means the car or truck can drive itself anytime, anywhere, under any condition. No limitations. At this point, a driver is merely additional cargo. But for now, Level 5 remains a dream. There are lots of variables to work out before cars, let alone big rigs, will be able to pilot themselves in urban settings and can achieve ‘last mile’ delivery, meaning door-to-door delivery with no humans required. “Driving from highway-exit-to-exit is much easier than dealing with the special conditions of an urban environment,” says Rajkumar. “Driving in a [city] requires even better technology, practical experience, and appropriate regulations…[developers] aren’t even close to that.” And truck makers agree. Daimler, who makes 40 percent of trucks in North America, says they’re not getting rid of drivers anytime soon. Instead, the company is trying to make driving safer, less tedious, and more environmentally friendly. A smarter truck could mean a better job for truckers, which will hopefully help the industry fix its current driver shortage problem. Freightliner/Diamler A new kind of truck driver as envisioned by Freightliner’s Inspiration semi-autonomous big rig. Less time driving, more time analyzing. But even if drivers remain in the cab, your average truck driver’s duties will still change in some big ways. “[Drivers] may become the highway equivalent of an airline pilot...optimizing routes, monitoring gauges and instruments, and operating the vehicle in the first and last miles,” says Daimler’s Paige Jarmer. “But they won’t go away.” Some companies disagree, believing trucker robots might help ferry trucks down the highways with a little help from HQ. “For example, there might be a main data center where people are monitoring the fleet on the highway using virtual reality goggles,” says Nikola’s Milton. “If something goes wrong...that monitor can take control remotely...and steer the truck out of danger.” Big trucks might even become rolling fulfillment centers. When an order is placed, a nearby autonomous big rig carrying that product is dispatched. Then an off-ramp truck—with or without a driver— takes the product to your home. But these ambitious ideas still remain only concepts ripe for exploration. For now, drivers remain. The Electric Long-Haul Conundrum